After UFC Liverpool Victory, Neil Magny Targets Showdown with Kamaru Usman

It wasn’t the fight he was supposed to have, but credit Neil Magny for making the most of the situation.

After originally scheduled foe Gunnar Nelson withdrew from a proposed clash with Magny at UFC Fight Night 130 due to a knee injury less than a month before the event, the Elevation Fight Team product was paired with Cage Warriors veteran Craig White on short notice.

As the promotional veteran, Magny did what he was supposed to, putting White away with a knee to the face and follow-up punches against the fence for a technical knockout win 4:32 into the opening stanza.

“You know, I didn’t know what to expect,” Magny said. “Craig White is a tough guy who took this fight on very short notice and these Cage Warriors guys are some of the toughest in the world — they prove time and time again that they belong in the UFC. So, I certainly wasn’t expecting to finish the fight that quickly but I’m happy to get the job done.”

Magny has been one of the welterweight division’s most consistent performers in recent years, with his only defeats since 2015 coming to Rafael dos Anjos, Demian Maia and Lorenz Larkin. Meanwhile, he owns victories against the likes of Carlos Condit, Johny Hendricks, Kelvin Gastelum, Hector Lombard and Tim Means, to name a few.

Now, Magny has top contender Kamaru Usman in his sights. Usman is coming off a five-round verdict over Maia in the UFC Fight Night 129 headliner and has quietly compiled an eight-fight winning streak in the Octagon.

“I want to fight Usman because he has been calling me out for a long time but the fight hasn’t been made so I’m speaking up for it now,” Magny said. “I want that fight.”

Usman may be looking a little higher up the food chain at this point. After vanquishing Maia, “The Nigerian Nightmare” called out welterweight champion Tyron Woodley. However, Woodley will likely be obligated to face the winner of the interim 170-pound title bout between dos Anjos and Colby Covington at UFC 225.

Regardless, Magny believes Usman is a worthy challenge.

“He’s proved himself to be a great fighter so far,” Magny said. “He’s got a lot accomplished in the division right now. He’s in the top five now, so it makes sense for me to want to call out a guy who’s actually proven himself time and time again rather than someone else. So if it ends up coming through, I’ll take the fight. If not, we’ll see what happens.”